Sleeping Angel (Ravenwood Series) Page 8

  Chapter Nine

  The lesson was sending April to sleep. Something about the metaphysical poets and their role in ... God, something, April wasn’t sure what. Not only was it deathly dull, it was made all the more turgid because Amy Philips was taking the lesson. Amy was one of the biggest know-it-alls in Ravenwood – and there were certainly a lot of candidates for the role.

  ‘Andrew Marvell’s poem “To His Coy Mistress” makes an almost self-conscious allusion to the poetic tradition,’ said Amy, clearly loving being right at the front of the class. ‘But in reality his was a wholly new approach to lyricism, with an emphasis on the freedom of expression.’

  ‘God, she’s boring,’ whispered Caro, ‘I really didn’t think anyone was going to take Dr Death’s idea of empowering the students so seriously.’

  April stifled a giggle, drawing a glare from Amy. In actual fact, April had been in three lessons this week where the students had taken over the lecture. She didn’t mind a bit of healthy debate, but the problem was that the only people who wanted to stand at the front and drone on tended to be the creepiest spods in the school. It wasn’t until you had to listen to people like Amy Philips that you began to appreciate how hard it was to make dry subjects such as poetry sound interesting.

  It wasn’t only the change to the school routine that was unsettling. There seemed to be new staff being brought in every day, plus an almost daily procession of men in white coats trooping down to the “Special Projects” laboratories on the lower levels of Ravenwood.

  April flipped a new page over on her notepad and wrote:

  What’s going on in the basement?

  She knew Caro had been invited to a “special lecture” on biological development or something equally unfathomable. Caro had been particularly excited, not by the subject matter, but because Simon was also something of a brainbox in biology, and it meant that they could sit together, like they had done before the Suckers and Ling got hold of him. Caro picked up April’s pen and replied:

  Molecular models, some weird stuff with hypno-TVs, loads of “practical” science.

  She drew an arrow towards the word “practical” and added:

  Meaning “makes money for RW”.

  April wrote another note:

  And what about Simon?

  With an impish smile, she drew a love-heart next to his name. Caro shook her head and scribbled out the heart.

  Gone total Sucker. Like he’s joined a cult.

  April squeezed Caro’s hand sympathetically. ‘Sorry,’ she mouthed.

  The bell rang to indicate the end of the lesson and April heaved a sigh of relief. Amy Philips was still glaring at them as they filed out and Caro stuck her tongue out at the girl.

  ‘Very mature,’ said Amy. ‘No wonder no one’s talking to you any more, Caro Jackson.’

  ‘What do you mean? April’s talking to me.’

  ‘Yes, but that’s because both of you are ...’

  ‘We’re what?’

  ‘Weird.’

  Caro burst out laughing. ‘You’re calling us weird?’ she spluttered.

  Amy put her hands on her hips. ‘It’s about time you grew up and realised that Charles Tame is ...’

  ‘Oh, it’s Charles now, is it?’ interrupted Caro. ‘Has he been offering you special tuition?’

  Amy’s pale face turned bright red and April knew Caro had hit the bullseye; the girl had a crush on Ravenwood’s new leader. Bizarre – how anyone could find him anything other than repellent was beyond her.

  ‘Just because you can’t see how important his work is ...’ pouted Amy. ‘Just because you don’t have the imagination.’

  ‘Oh, I think I know exactly how important his work is, Amy,’ said Caro. ‘And it’s you who lacks the imagination. How about I fill you in on exactly what’s going on at Ravenwood, huh?’

  April grabbed Caro’s arm and pulled her out of the classroom. ‘Shhh!’ she said urgently. ‘What the hell are you doing?’

  ‘Well, that stuck up little cow annoyed me. They all think they’re so ...’

  She trailed off as they turned into the corridor. Written on the wall in fat black marker, letters a foot high, was a slogan:

  EMBRACE THE DARK

  ‘What the hell?’ whispered Caro in her turn, and the two girls exchanged a look.

  ‘Isn’t it wonderful?’

  They turned to see Dr Tame watching them, his eyes shining.

  ‘Wonderful?’ said April, ‘Shouldn’t you be getting the caretaker to scrub it off?’

  ‘Yeah, and tracking down the vandals?’

  Tame shook his head. ‘Girls, your thinking is adorably old-fashioned. What we’re looking at here isn’t vandalism, it’s creativity. Free-thinking minds expressing themselves to their fullest. This shows that what I have been saying is getting through – there are no boundaries at Ravenwood anymore.’

  ‘So, if I wrote “Screw Ravenwood” on the front door, I’d get a pat on the back?’

  ‘No, Caro, that would be different,’ said Tame, ‘Because you wouldn’t be entering into the spirit of the new times. As I said to you before – open minds yes, negativity, no.’

  ‘And there’s nothing negative about “embracing the dark”?’ said April.

  ‘Nothing whatsoever, April, in fact I believe it is the only way to progress. We need both light and shade, do we not?’

  Jesus, he really is off his rocker, thought April.

  Tame stepped forward and grabbed April’s arm, squeezing hard and steering her back along the corridor. ‘Actually, I’m glad I’ve bumped into you, Miss Dunne,’ he said, seemingly oblivious to the squeak of pain which came from April. ‘I wanted to talk to you about your new role.’

  April looked over her shoulder at Caro, but her friend merely gave her a shrug before Tame dragged her out of sight.

  ‘Now then, April,’ said the headmaster. ‘How did your grandfather react to the news of your elevation to Head Girl?’

  ‘Pleased,’ said April. He was over the moon, as you very well know, she thought.

  ‘Hmm, that’s good. Very good.’

  April gave him a sideways look. Why was Tame so interested in Grandpa Thomas all of a sudden? And then it hit her. April almost slapped herself on the forehead. How could she have been so naïve? Gramps was well connected with the school governors, not to mention all manner of politicians and businessmen in the city – Dr Tame had given April this so-called honour to impress her grandad. The annoying part was – it had worked.

  They turned down a passage that led towards the front of the school and April noticed two boys loitering outside the entrance to the toilet. On seeing Tame, one of the boys immediately slipped inside the door. It was clear to April that the boys were lookouts. Dr Tame hadn’t missed it either. He released April and pushed the door open.

  ‘Gentlemen,’ he said, ‘Is there a problem here?’

  April didn’t want to follow him into the toilet, but over Tame’s shoulder, she could see two boys – from the dark eyes and casual swagger, she immediately had them pegged as Suckers – coming out of a cubicle, quickly followed by another, smaller boy with a frightened look on his face. April noticed that he was fiddling with the cuff of his shirt. Had they been feeding? Here in the school?

  ‘No problem, sir,’ said one of the Suckers, a half smile on his face, ‘Just, uh, preparing for our next seminar.’

  ‘Well, don’t skulk around in the shadows, Calvin,’ said Tame, ‘What have I told you about hiding your light under a bushel? Stand up straight and show the world, hmm?’

  ‘Whatever you say, sir,’ smiled Calvin.

  April just gaped – was the headmaster just going to let them off? He must have known what they were doing, or at the very least known they were up to no good. And yet, instead of giving them detention, he appeared to be giving them a pep talk and a thumbs-up. Tame set off again, the matter clearly having been dealt with to his satisfaction.

  ‘Sir? Aren’t you going to do anything
?’ said April as she trotted to keep up. ‘I mean, weren’t they doing something wrong?’

  ‘Oh, come now, April, boys will be boys,’ said Tame, waving a hand in the air. ‘Young Calvin is very popular with the other boys, not to mention something of a talent on the sports field –giving him lines will hardly motivate him to success. I want the students at Ravenwood to know that I support them in whatever endeavour they choose, as long as they deliver. Results are everything to me.’

  They stopped at an empty classroom and Tame ushered April inside.

  ‘Which brings us to you, Miss Dunne,’ he said shutting the door behind him. ‘As Head Girl at Ravenwood, I want you to set an example to the other students.’

  ‘An example?’ said April, glancing at the door. She was feeling very uncomfortable being alone with Tame, especially as he now seemed to be saying that vampirism was fine on school premises – what else would he find acceptable?

  ‘An example, Miss Dunne,’ he repeated. ‘You need to be someone Ravenwood students can look up to, someone they can aspire to be. Of course, there are brighter students at the school, Ravenwood being one of the top academic schools in the country, ,so you can’t hope to be competing with them.’

  Oh, cheers, thought April, thanks for the words of encouragement.

  ‘No, what I would like you to be is a leader, someone who embodies everything that’s good about Ravenwood, the poster girl if you like.’

  ‘I’m not sure I’m exactly the right person ...’

  ‘Nonsense. With a visit to the hairdressers, perhaps a little fashion advice, you could be quite presentable. But that’s only part of the role. I want to see our new Head Girl out there waving the flag for the school, telling the world. So I’ve arranged a little interview with the local paper.’

  ‘For me? You want me to talk to the newspapers?’

  ‘Of course, April,’ he said, his weird pale eyes boring into her. ‘Nothing too scary, just a little Q&A. We need to get the message out about what a fantastic new approach we have here at Ravenwood. That’s not a problem, is it?’

  ‘No, I ... I just wouldn’t know what to say.’

  ‘Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that; I’ll be writing it for you. ‘Ravenwood is the best school on the planet, blah blah, incredibly supportive to me, all the usual. You just need to pose for the pictures.’

  He leant forward and pressed a button on an intercom.

  ‘Mrs. Bagly, could you send him through?’

  April gaped at him.

  ‘You want to take photographs now?’

  ‘No time like the present, hmm?’

  God, thought April as she sat there nervously watching the photographer set up, Caro is right: Tame is good at this. By getting April to appear in public, saying how happy she was at the school, it would neutralise the “Headmaster Dies In Suspicious Circumstances” headlines the tabloids had been printing.

  Mercifully, the photographer seemed in a hurry and only wanted to take a few shots of her sitting at a desk pretending to write, before disappearing as quickly as he had arrived.

  ‘So can I go now?’ asked April. She was keen to be out of this office as soon as possible.

  Tame pursed his lips.

  ‘Soon. But first I do have one other little favour to ask.’

  Uh-oh, thought April. She had a horrible feeling she wasn’t going to like this.

  ‘As you’re mixing with the pupils, I would like you to keep an eye out for anyone who might be, how shall I put this? Who might be a problem. Perhaps they’re struggling with their studies, perhaps they’re not quite fitting in with the other students. Perhaps they’re just looking for guidance. Either way, I’d like you to tell me about it.’

  Unbelievable. Tame was actually asking her to recruit for him. He wanted her to weed out all the undesirables – people like Caro, people like her – and presumably he also wanted April to identify the students who might be more open to his special brand of indoctrination.

  ‘Is all that clear?’ said Tame.

  ‘Yes, but I don’t see ...’

  ‘Yes, you do, April,’ he said, standing up. ‘I think you understand very well. Let’s not spell it out any more than we have to. If you want your grandfather to carry on being proud of you, if you want to carry on attending this school, then you’ll do as I ask.’

  ‘And if I say no?’

  Tame’s mouth split into a wide grin. ‘But that’s just silly isn’t it? You won’t say no. Because if you don’t do exactly as I ask, we shall cease to be friends. And you want to be friends with me, don’t you, April?’

  What April wanted to do was to start choking his scrawny neck. She didn’t want to have anything to do with Dr Charles Tame and his “new regime”. But once again, he was correct. She couldn’t say no; she couldn’t risk getting thrown out of Ravenwood, not when she was getting so close to the truth. No, she had to play along – play dumb, in fact. Which gave her an idea.

  ‘All right, just one thing though,’ said April.

  ‘Hmm?’

  ‘What you were saying the other day? About banishing homework? Well, if I’m doing this extracurricular work for the school it might help if you could have a word with my teachers. Maybe ask them to give a little boost to my marks? It would take the pressure off.’

  April saw the look of delight spread across Tame’s face, just as she had known it would. Dishonesty, manipulation, these were things he could work with. If April was prepared to cheat her way to qualifications, then the headmaster knew he could manipulate her any way he chose.

  ‘I think that can be arranged,’ said Tame, holding the door open. ‘One last thing,’ he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling something out. ‘You’ll be needing this. So everyone can see.’

  He held it out to her and April took it. It was a brass and enamel badge reading “Head Girl”.

  Chapter Ten

  ‘Hey, baby girl,’ said Ling, her hand on one hip. ‘Looking good.’

  April groaned inwardly. She had been trying to slip out of the main entrance without being seen. The last thing she wanted after her confrontation with Dr Death was to spar with Ling and the Suckers. Not that she had much choice: on one side of Ling was Chessy, on the other Simon, and behind them a handful of Faces wannabes. The only way to the gate was to walk through them.

  ‘Oh, hi Ling, how’re you?’ said April, trying to force a smile.

  ‘Just peachy, honey pie. Much like yourself.’

  April was unsettled by the way Ling was looking at her and wondered again if the girl had been turned. No, as she looked closer, April could see that Ling was made over to within an inch of her life: pleated micro-mini, crisp white shirt with the top buttons undone and patent black stilettos. But under all the artfully applied eyeliner and blusher, April could still see a rash of acne. Vampires don’t have acne, she thought.

  Chessy stepped forward. ‘So where’s your little friend Davina today?’ she asked, just a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

  April shrugged, feigning indifference. Clearly, Davina was no longer part of the gang and if April was going to fit in, as Tame had ordered, she had to follow their lead.

  ‘Her?’ she said, ‘Not seen her.’

  ‘Maybe she’s sick, eh girls?’ said Chessy, to snorts of appreciative laughter.

  ‘I’m sick of her, that’s for sure,’ said Ling. ‘And it looks as though we have a new leader, doesn’t it, pookie?’

  She turned to Simon who reached out and touched April’s “Head Girl” pin. ‘Love the badge, April,’ he said slowly.

  As he moved closer, April could see that Simon’s eyes were glassy and unfocused. Oh God, he couldn’t have got into drugs, could he? Simon had always seemed so sensible, so down to earth, but April supposed that if his head could be turned by a bunch of glamorous vampires, then there was no saying what he might do. She really didn’t know him anymore.

  ‘So our boy Cal says you’ve been hanging out with Dr T,’ said Chessy. �
�He seems to have taken you under his wing.’

  ‘I wonder what you offered,’ said Simon with a sneer.

  April glared at him. It was one thing for Simon to want to hang out with the Faces; it was another to adopt their bitchy sarcasm.

  ‘No, she wouldn’t – she’s got the gorgeous Gabriel to take care of that department, haven’t you, babe?’ said Ling.

  ‘I can’t blame you for that,’ said Chessy. ‘Sometimes I wish I still had him visiting me in the middle of the night.’

  Gabriel and Chessy? thought April with horror. It couldn’t be, Chessy was just trying to wind her up – wasn’t she? But then she remembered how, at her birthday party at Davina’s house, Chessy had disappeared upstairs with Gabriel. The very thought made her feel physically ill – and deep down, she had to admit to herself that she was jealous. After all, April couldn’t exactly fulfil her role as a girlfriend very well, given that a single smooch could kill Gabriel stone dead. But there was nothing to stop Chessy and Gabriel kissing – or doing anything else – and on that level, April simply couldn’t compete.

  ‘What are you doing on Saturday?’ asked Ling.

  ‘Uh, no plans ... I don’t think so, anyway,’ stuttered April, unsure where this was leading.

  Ling and Chessy exchanged smiles.

  ‘That’s such good news,’ said Ling, ‘because it just so happens that I’m having a little get together chez nous, and I was wondering if you’d like to come along.’

  ‘Bring Gabriel too,’ said Chessy, practically purring as she said his name. ‘I’d love to see him again.’

  ‘And bring Caro,’ said Simon, drawing a glare from Ling.

  ‘Sure, why not?’ smiled Chessy, clearly enjoying the tension between Simon and Ling. ‘Maybe she can bring some of those cheesy nibbles of hers.’

  April nodded, not sure what to say. ‘I’ll see you then,’ she said, edging around them and out onto the road.

  ‘Can’t wait,’ said Chessy in a sing-song voice.

  April stomped up the hill, smarting. She had the distinct feeling that she was the butt of an elaborate joke. Clearly, the plan to integrate with the Suckers was a dismal failure. Dr Tame might have adopted her as some sort of performing monkey, but it was evidently going to take more than the headmaster’s seal of approval to win over the Faces. She thought of that cold afternoon when Ling had come to her and they had talked in the church. The girl had seemed frightened by what was going on at Ravenwood, even disgusted by it. But now? It seemed as though Ling had replaced Davina as queen bee in the Ravenwood honey trap. She might not be a vamp, but that made Ling all the more dangerous, because she had been so utterly seduced.